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The differences between direct care counselors and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $33,422 average annual salary of a direct care counselor.
The top three skills for a direct care counselor include crisis intervention, autism and CPR. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Direct Care Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $33,422 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $16.07 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,519 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A direct care counselor provides direct counseling and assistance to the elderly or individuals with disabilities and mental issues. They usually work at rehabilitation centers or care facilities and work together with nurses or caregivers to administer different treatment plans, monitor and support the patients' progress, and help the patients carry out daily activities such as performing hygienic or routine living tasks. Moreover, a direct care counselor may also develop and implement various healthcare programs and recreational activities while adhering to the facility's policies and regulations.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Direct care counselors and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Care Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $33,422 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $49,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a direct care counselor and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Direct Care Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between direct care counselors' and program counselors' demographics:
| Direct Care Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |